The World Darts Championship has become as much a staple of the festive period as Mariah Carey and Home Alone and it’s time to step into dartsmas once more, with no one more primed than the seemingly peerless and unassailable Luke Humphries.
Humphries has discovered an aura of invincibility in recent months, capturing an elusive maiden major accolade at the World Grand Prix and following that with Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals success, although the tournament favourite now has a chasing pack hunting him down.
A star-studded field of 96 players, including six former world champions, 24 debutants and qualifiers from 27 nations, will grace the iconic Alexandra Palace, with defending champion Michael Smith, three-time winner Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price amongst those attempting to stop Humphries in his tracks.
Those are a mere four contenders nonetheless and an array of other names will be lurking in the shadows and attempting to seal the most prestigious slice of silverware, including the blessed Nathan Aspinall, the evergreen Gary Anderson, the perpetual James Wade or perhaps even the prodigious Luke Littler.
Dobey on the brink of greatness
Chris Dobey has been simmering beneath the surface since a Premier League debut during the frontend of the season that didn’t receive the recognition that it deserved. Having boasted the fourth-highest average during that campaign, he has since reached three televised quarter-finals, only being denied by the eventual champion in two of them.
Dobey’s Alexandra Palace record makes for even more pleasant reading and the Masters champion undoubtedly has the pedigree to fulfil his potential in a quarter that’s there for the taking, despite the defending champion Smith, Rob Cross, Ross Smith and Jonny Clayton providing prospective stumbling blocks along the way.
His possible third round encounter with Ross Smith could unfold into an Ally Pally classic should it materialise, with Smith behind only Van Gerwen and Humphries in terms of averages since the beginning of October. Perhaps the scoring powerhouse is peaking in good time once again following his unbelievable match against Dirk van Duijvenbode twelve months ago.
Michael Smith was cutting the mustard twelve months ago, hence living up to expectations and lifting the Sid Waddell trophy, although his season as world champion has proved something of a damp squib. Having admitted to irregular practice, Smith’s consistency diminished and that makes him vulnerable in a cutthroat environment.
You’d expect Smith to surpass the third round, opening his campaign against the dangerous Grand Slam of Darts revelation in Virginia’s Stowe Buntz or Kevin Doets. Madars Razma could follow but Belgium’s Mike De Decker will fancy his chances of seeing off Dragutin Horvat and proving a contest for the Latvian, having thoroughly impressed many this year.
Rob Cross, meanwhile, has experienced his most productive campaign since conquering the Alexandra Palace almost six years ago. Cross had an annual average of 97.62 during his sensational debut season in 2017 and he’s not far off that mark this year, having won his maiden European Tour title and reached the Grand Slam final.
It would be something of a surprise should Cross not embark on a run to the quarter-finals, bearing in mind his form in comparison to fellow seeds Jose de Sousa, Krzysztof Ratajski and Jonny Clayton. Clayton and Ratajski both made an impression last time around, although have since become a handicapper’s nightmare due to blowing hot and cold.
Cross has a favourable second round encounter in probably the Alexandra Palace’s first Frenchman in former Lakeside World Championship runner-up Thibault Tricole, should he see off fellow debutant Mario Vandenbogaerde. Ritchie Edhouse is an arguable favourite to see off both De Sousa and Jeffrey de Graaf and could then await in round three, with Edhouse having tested the resoluteness of Gerwyn Price two years ago.
International qualifiers David Cameron and youngster Owen Bates will fancy their chances of shocking their seasoned opponents. Canada’s Cameron has previous in north London and faces Jamie Hughes, while 21-year-old Bates, who has impressed on the PDC’s secondary tours this year and beaten the likes of James Wade, Andrew Gilding and Dimitri Van den Bergh when stepping up to the ProTour, will be expected to ruffle the feathers of Steve Lennon and potentially Clayton.
Prediction: Dobey beats Cross in the quarter-finals
Price has to exorcise Ally Pally demons
Gerwyn Price has declared that the only person who can beat him this festive period is himself and it’s unfathomable to argue against that being relatively accurate. For someone as talented as the former world number one, he should have more major accolades than he does but exorcising specific demons remains imperative.
His battles with the Alexandra Palace crowd in recent years have become an unwelcome distraction and the ear defenders shenanigans of yesteryear provided evidence of that. It’s difficult to foresee Price having his back up against the wall until a potential fourth round showdown with Gary Anderson, during which his reaction to a partisan crowd could prove a decisive factor in who prevails.
Anderson tends to come out reinvigorated when the World Championship comes around each year, although there’s no need for a revival this time around as the Scotsman has been scintillating. He may have only reached a solitary major quarter-final at last month’s Grand Slam, during which he beat Price before narrowly being denied in a Humphries thriller, but his rolling average is higher than anyone else on tour this year.
Despite Price and Anderson leaping off the page, deciding their possible quarter-final opponents creates a minefield. Peter Wright stands out as a two-time world champion, James Wade may be the most capable based on current form and teenage sensation Luke Littler rampaging his way through the world’s elite isn’t beyond the realms.
Littler’s World Youth Championship final display in beating Gian van Veen provided further evidence of his prodigious talents, firing in seven 180s and averaging in excess of the 102 mark during that match. The 16-year-old’s now expected to beat the arthritis-affected Christian Kist before meeting UK Open champion Andrew Gilding, whose standards have slipped slightly in recent months.
It would be little surprise should he progress further but a third round contest against the evergreen James Wade could be the boundary for Littler on debut. Having dropped out of the world’s top 16 for the first time in 17 years two months ago, Wade has since reaffirmed himself as a force to be reckoned with, reaching the semi-finals and final of the next two major tournaments.
Wade could renew rivalries with the mysterious Wright in the fourth round, and consistent levels of performance have been few and far between for him this year, hence why his rolling average stands four points less than this time last year. You’d expect him to drastically improve on those numbers for the sport’s showpiece staging but has become susceptible to frailties.
Welshman Jim Williams has all the minerals needed to pull off an upset victory over Wright in the second round, while Raymond van Barneveld or perhaps even Radek Szaganski have a strong outside chance. Poland’s Szaganski landed an elusive ranking title in October and has flourished this season, making him a considerable threat to anyone who stands between him and the next round.
Elsewhere, opportunity awaits for either Keegan Brown or Croatia’s Boris Krcmar, with the winner of that balanced encounter facing the injury-stricken Dirk van Duijvenbode. Krcmar should be highly hopeful of securing his deepest Ally Pally run and tying down his tour card in the process.
Prediction: Price beats Wade in the quarter-finals
Something special needed to derail Van Gerwen
Almost five years have passed since Michael van Gerwen was last crowned world champion, although something special has been needed to conquer him on every occasion thereafter. Van Gerwen has endured six defeats at Alexandra Palace since landing an elusive world title in 2014 and each time it has taken a ton-plus average to derail him.
Stephen Bunting could stand between MVG and the quarter-finals, having experienced an exceptional spell of form in recent months. Only six players are averaging more than Bunting’s 96.54 for the second-half of the season, and the Grand Slam semi-finalist has reached the quarter-finals in two of his last three Ally Pally outings.
Bunting should have beaten an outstanding Van Gerwen at last month’s Players Championship Finals after squandering a commanding lead and he will be out to avenge that. Beforehand, though, he has a tricky opener to contend with in either recent major semi-finalist Ryan Joyce – whose 44 percent makes him the most prolific double-hitter in the world – or American debutant Alex Spellman.
Bunting could encounter Dimitri Van den Bergh in the third round should the Belgian avoid a potential obstacle in either youngster Dylan Slevin or Germany’s Florian Hempel, the latter of who notably defeated him on debut at Alexandra Palace two years ago. Van Gerwen, meanwhile, could face fellow Dutchman Richard Veenstra, who is an arguable favourite to beat both Ben Robb and Kim Huybrechts.
Meanwhile, Josh Rock lived up to expectations twelve months ago whilst being the name on everybody’s lips but the youngster now has the chance to make his mark at Alexandra Palace without that sense of expectation looming over him. His season hasn’t quite unfolded as spectacularly as his debut year, although the Northern Irishman remains comfortably inside the top ten in terms of averages.
Rock could have a tough opener in Luke Woodhouse, who reached his maiden major quarter-final only last month, before a mouth-watering third round contest against Damon Heta. The Australian has reached two further major quarter-finals since his World Matchplay run in July and appears to be building towards something.
Danny Noppert has never surpassed the third round at the Alexandra Palace in an underwhelming record, although for a player of his undeniable capabilities that luckless streak has to come to an end at some point and him now being the world number seven means that he will no longer encounter one of the world’s very elite until the quarter-finals.
Fallon Sherrock returns to the venue where she created shockwaves four years ago and there’s a sense of opportunity again for the Queen of the Palace. Sherrock cherishes the big occasion and in Jermaine Wattimena she has an opponent whose cage can be rattled when things go against him. Should she cause another Ally Pally upset, Martin Schindler will prove a particularly tricky second round opponent.
Filipino Reynaldo Rivera deserves a mention following his remarkable Asian Tour campaign, notably recording some astronomical numbers on that circuit this year. His statistics there suggest that he will prove a contest for Keane Barry and potentially Van Gerwen, in similar style to his countryman Noel Malicdem‘s close shave against Peter Wright a few years ago.
Prediction: Van Gerwen beats Rock in the quarter-finals
Humphries has the world at his feet
Luke Humphries has asserted his ascendancy in recent months and delivered one of the most convincing spells seen since Michael van Gerwen’s dominant years. Only twice has someone won the World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals during the same season and on both occasions they won the showpiece staging also.
Everything leads to the unwavering Humphries in a similar fashion to what they did twelve months ago when Michael Smith triumphed. The world number three is averaging 98.42 for the year and those sensational standards meant that he’d be there or thereabouts, although his improved mental toughness has been the aspect of his game that has turned him into the winning machine that he’s become.
Humphries should deal with either Lee Evans or Filipino Sandro Sosing relatively comfortably, and his first real test could arrive in the shape of Ricardo Pietreczko in the third round. One of our last sightings of Pikachu witnessed him struggle to cope with the crowd against Beau Greaves at the Grand Slam. However, the German would have learnt from that in preparation for his match against two-time women’s world champion Mikuru Suzuki and will fancy his chances against the out of form Callan Rydz in the second round.
Ryan Searle could prove to be the biggest threat to good friend Humphries on his way to the quarter-finals, having recently handed a nine-dart finish at the Grand Slam, while Joe Cullen savours the World Championship and has reached the fourth round in two of the last three years with ton-plus averages needed to bring him down.
Meanwhile, Dave Chisnall has been phenomenal this season in securing three European Tour accolades but his performances on TV haven’t provided as much hope, leaving him somewhat vulnerable when surrounded by the likes of sixth seed Nathan Aspinall and youngster Gian van Veen.
Aspinall was referred to as blessed earlier in this preview and that’s because rewinding twelve months ago would see his career in tatters. Now, that career-threatening wrist injury has been treated and the Asp sets his sights on another deep Alexandra Palace run with the World Matchplay title under his belt.
Dutch youngster Wessel Nijman has shown promising signs on the Development Tour this year and will be a sizeable favourite to beat Steve Beaton. A second round affair against Daryl Gurney will be an intriguing one, with Gurney’s 42 percent making him the fifth-best double-hitter on the circuit.
European Championship semi-finalist Gian van Veen defeated Michael van Gerwen during that Dortmund run in October. The 20-year-old has produced astronomical numbers on frequent occasions this year, and his potential second round clash with last year’s semi-finalist Gabriel Clemens will be a coin-flip affair.
Prediction: Humphries beats Aspinall in the quarter-finals
Overall: Humphries beats Price in the final
